Global renewables contracting giant Sterling and Wilson Solar has warned Australia’s large-scale solar PV industry faces a significant workforce shortage as the nation shifts away from fossil fuels towards renewable power.

Australia’s march towards a renewable energy future has reached another milestone with AGL Energy announcing the closure of the first of four turbines at the 1,680MW coal-fired Liddell Power Station, signalling the beginning of the end for the ageing plant.

Australia’s clean energy industry continued its record-breaking run in 2021 with the wind, solar PV and energy storage sectors steering renewables to an unprecedented 32.5% share of the electricity market but the Clean Energy Council has warned of clouds on the horizon with investment commitments in new large-scale projects slowing.

MSquare Energy’s ambition to become Australia’s largest solar PV panel manufacturer has been dealt a blow with the Clean Energy Council confirming it has delisted the Sydney-based outfit’s entire module range.

Queensland government-owned utility CS Energy has announced plans to build a 100MW/200MWh battery near Chinchilla on the Western Downs with the state government identifying large-scale energy storage as fundamental in the state’s energy transition.

Retail giants Kmart, Bunnings, Target and Officeworks have signed a long-term power purchase agreement with Queensland government-owned generator CleanCo to provide the retailers with 100% renewable electricity at their sites across the state.

A new report published by U.K.-based energy think tank Ember shows that solar PV was the world’s fastest rising source of electricity generation in 2021 and Australia leads the world in its uptake with solar generating 12% of the nation’s electricity last year.

The world’s largest solar PV and battery energy storage project has locked in renewed political support with the Northern Territory government confirming it will introduce special legislation into parliament this week that will facilitate the development of the giga-scale Australia-Asia PowerLink project.

Researchers from The University of Queensland have developed a new nanotechnology that they say more than doubles the lifespan of high-voltage lithium-ion batteries, paving the way for higher density and lower-cost energy storage solutions.

South Australia had a notable wind generation rate during the final quarter of 2021 with ~569MW of average wind generation, accounting for ~57% of total average generation of the state and it is still going strong in this quarter.